Understanding bushfires from ignition to community impact: firebrands, fire spread and the Wildland–Urban Interface
Wildfires threaten communities by spreading through vegetation and igniting structures via firebrands, radiant heat, and direct flame contact. These processes drive the transition of wildfire into the Wildland–Urban Interface (WUI), where natural vegetation and the built environment intersect. As climate change increases the frequency, duration, and intensity of fire seasons, advancing our understanding of these processes and developing predictive models of fire spread, transition into the WUI, and WUI fire behaviour are essential for reducing wildfire risk.
Advancing fire science through experiments and modelling
Our research combines state-of-the-art laboratory experiments, field observations, and physics-based modelling to understand how fuel, weather, terrain, and scale influence fire ignition, spread, intensity, and structure exposure. This knowledge underpins the development of improved predictive tools that support fire management, emergency response, and community resilience.
Our research themes
- Fire propagation through vegetation
- Fire spread across fuel layers and landscapes
- Fire-front interactions and extreme fire behaviour
- Fuel ignition and combustion
- Firebrand generation, transport, and spotting
- Wildland–Urban Interface (WUI) fire dynamics
- Fire performance of construction materials
- Fire impacts on vegetation, ecosystems, and infrastructure
- Structure ignition by firebrands, radiant heat, and direct flame contact